~amysuds workout journal~

[amysuds]

Today I worked my back! I was a bit uneasy as I warmed up. I once again sat down on the floor and tried to roll back and back up to a sitting position...but I can't do it. I kind of fell back straight, like I was avoiding my spine from touching the carpet or something. So I did alt warmups. I started with rack chins, used 10lb and felt fine. I then decided to try pulldowns, making sure I used wide grip and utilizing the upper half of my back more. I did not try close grip, they seem to squeeze my lower lat area alot at the peak contraction portion. The pulldowns went great! I did not go above 60lb...but I def got a pump and got the blood moving into the area. I figure I may lose some strength while recovering, but I can try to preserve what muscle I have. I also did one arm rows and incline rows. I kept the weight at 50% of my normal and pushed for high reps. Fortunetly, today's workout did not have to have bent rows...those are on the back burner for now. Chest workout was good also. I still had to have my daughter hand me the dumbbells after I lied back on the bench to do press and fly. I also walked before and after this workout. I threw in a few hill runs as I went around the neighborhood, just to get a feeling what it will be like. I am thinking that tomorrow I may try a short run. My hips are tight again today...kind of feel like there is no lubrication deep inside and they are rubbing as I walk. As the day went on today, I have to say my back is actually feeling a bit better than this morning. It may be from using those muscles that have been tensed up since this happened. I stretched in between every set today like I used to do also.
Tomorrow I have got to push some heavy weight somehow. I know my body, and my legs need more than high rep light stuff to be respond....I also know that plyo type stuff isn't the answer either...been there, done that. Gotta stimulate the fibers....gotta keep my metabolism cranking.....gotta think alot about tomorrow's plan tonight... and gotta get myself mentally ready.

[amysuds]

Leg day.....I got my wish today, and completed the weight workout!....my plan was to use the smith machine for squats. I mean, that's why I have that thing, for safety! So I figured I'd give it a go. My squats were 100-120lb, leg press 250, leg ext 75... I can't believe I am COMING BACK! I decided to try the SLDL, real light at first. It seems as though the more work I do, the less I am hurting now? Must have knots or something that I am working outta me. Whatever it is....SEE YA!! I reached 125 SLDL, great enough for me today. I ran for about a third of my cardio session and walked the rest. Ease back into that...plus the wind was gusting 30mph with rain, yuck.
The best part about today, was that I faced my fears of re-living that unbearable pain I went through......and comp is 2 weeks out. Time to turn up the heat baby!!

[JENerator]

Way to power through Amy! Where there's a will there's a way and looks like you've found it!

[MuscleMom]

A bit late, but CONGRATS!!!

Good luck w/ the upcoming comp!

[amysuds]

I'm back! First off, thanks everyone for all your support over this contest season. It really means alot to me! Backtracking a little, I want to talk about my last competiton. I placed third out of six ladies in this NPC comp. In between the last 2 shows...I was recovering from my back injury and my workouts were not up to par. As my back started to feel better...sometime shortly after I won my Pro card on Oct 24, I then got the flu. Anyone out there who has been unlucky enough as I to get it, the flu was long and draining. I continued to workout as I could, but my strength was impaired and my body was weak. So with that being said, I feel very fortunate to have even placed at this past show. I lost 5 pounds between the shows. I also noticed the week prior, that my non stretch jeans were saggy in the glutes. Not a good sign for me. It was evident that I lost muscle during my illness. The rapid weight loss was out of my control and I had to just deal with it. I was not in my best shape for this show. I have to thank Scivation for developing the fat burner stack Dialene-4 and Sesamin. These truly saved me at a time I needed them to keep me lean. Well, there was no question that they worked once again for contest prep. I was still lean for the last show despite the serious lack of weight and cardio training. The pictures from the show showed my physique relatively similar from front pose. When I turned around for back pose.... my glutes looked awful, the loss of muscle made them fall. I could not compete with the other ladies in that area, they were tight as a drum...I had to have lost points for sure. So it's time to move forwards...no regrets, I made it through one of the most difficult few weeks ever!
Last but not least...thankyou to Layne for all your support and doing everything in your power to bring out the best in me It is truly an honor to be a part of Team Norton.

[AniMaLizTik]

glad you are feeling better, when is the next competition?

[amysuds]

Originally Posted by AniMaLizTik

glad you are feeling better, when is the next competition?

Thanks The next set of competitions will be in June/ July 2010.

[amysuds]

Today was leg day and I was ready to tear them up. It's been way too long since I pushed to max. So I used the workout today to gauge where I am at. I went into it knowing full well I would not hit the squat numbers I was 6 weeks ago. So I warmed up and did regular squats. I maxed out at 5 reps of 175lb for sets. Not bad, about 25-35lb shy. I could feel the right side of my upper glute/hip working harder than the other side. I tried to really squeeze equally as I went through the entire motion...but I found it interesting that the hip that bothers me from time to time is probably doing too much work. So, I need to figure it out. I then went on to leg press 260lb for 10rep sets. My glutes were shaking as I finished. I had no strength decrease in leg ext...still lifted 100 plus pounds for reps no problem. My quads were the size of Cleveland today....fully carbed, Vasocharged and strong as hell. Moved on to SLDL...hit just shy of where I left off at 155lb for 6 rep sets. I then lifted 70lb on my leg curl for the first set....more than I ever have with my plate loaded bench. Crazy!! So, my quads and hams are strong as ever....my glutes are not activating as well as I need them to be. I will continue to push hard to get that hip stabilization factor under control...as it will inhibit me from squatting heavy safely moving forwards. I figure it will take me 2 months to get my glutes back to where they were in mid October. As I go through off season, glutes and back thickness are my focus once again. I also want to mention that my food choices will also change. I will be consistent this time with integrating certain foods a set number of times every week. I have done a ton of research and am testing things on myself again. I learned over the past 12 weeks that dairy helps me burn more fat. Let's see what STEAK will do for my muscle growth. Red meat is just a small part of my plan. I will write about it all as I go. I will stay within the guidelines that Layne gives me for food choices of course. Tonight I had whole wheat pasta and tomato sauce with lean ground beef for dinner....funny thing is that it was the FIRST time I have had any pasta in over a year. I can also count the number of times I have had red meat this year with my ten fingers. Maybe tomorrow I will have brown rice, I haven't had that either....like I said, there has got to be life outside of oatmeal and sweet potato for me!! I turned MYSELF into a food robot. Where did the old me go ??

[Buffycat3]

Hi Amy!!

First of all I want to congratulate you and a successful year!
You worked hard and your love of bbing and building a beautiful physique Shines Through!!

I am amazed at your leg strength...wow!

I will be watching you as you change up your workouts and diet in order to build more lean muscle...Whoo! Fun!

(I know it is probably hard to switch mind-frame from contest workouts/diet to 'bulking'...but you can do it!)

I viewed you lasted picture in your bodyspace photo....My Goodness you look incredible!
btw: if you don't mind me asking, where is that last photo taken at? lol Great Shot!

Take Care and Have Fun!

[amysuds]

Originally Posted by Buffycat3

Hi Amy!!

First of all I want to congratulate you and a successful year!
You worked hard and your love of bbing and building a beautiful physique Shines Through!!

I am amazed at your leg strength...wow!

I will be watching you as you change up your workouts and diet in order to build more lean muscle...Whoo! Fun!

(I know it is probably hard to switch mind-frame from contest workouts/diet to 'bulking'...but you can do it!)

I viewed you lasted picture in your bodyspace photo....My Goodness you look incredible!
btw: if you don't mind me asking, where is that last photo taken at? lol Great Shot!

Take Care and Have Fun!

Thankyou for all the kind words! It was a great year....I am looking to raise the bar big time in 2010.
As far as that pic, I'm glad you liked it I think that one was from Vegas a few weeks ago.

[amysuds]

Ok so today was the first heavy back workout I have done in a long time. Things are feeling good throughout my whole back so I pushed hard. Right off the bat, I knew my strength was not going to be there. I went into the workout very positive and kept telling myself that it is not the amount I lift, rather that I keep those muscles under tension as heavy as I can go. I did have about 25% loss across the board. Time to just charge forward and keep working hard. I focused alot today on breathing....trying to take in alot of deep breaths and imagine all that blood flowing with force steadily into the muscles. This whole week I have been full and hard...especially my legs. They are thumping still from Tuesday Carbs are a beautiful thing right now.
The next few months I am going to try and fill out as much as possible, hoping my upper body grows. If I can do this, I may not have to attempt to get so lean for the summer comps next year. Trying to drop the fat off my lower body does a number on my upper body. From doing much research lately, I have found that figure competitors are doing rather well in general without being super lean. I fear not the pre contest plan anymore...I think I know what it takes to get the job done now. So my work ethic will remain as it always has been....nothing less than 110% every workout. I am treating this offseason just like I would when prepping for a contest. Every workout is important...full of oppurtunity....and I love nothing more than to share with everyone ,anything I learn along the way.

[SuzMax]

Hey Amy! Sounds like your training is back on track. So great you're feeling better. It will be great to watch you over these next months while you alter your diet. And as always your work ethic is such an inspiration.

[annemarie_DJ]

Hi Amy, just found your thread ! Wow - like I can totally commiserate with you. I am just getting back from a back injury. It was hell and very very slow to heal. It takes alot of patience. Be careful ! It is very interesting to hear you complain about your hip because I have the exact same problem... and it is from the back injury! I never had hip probs before and was a regular runner. I went back into your thread to see when and how you hurt yourself but it's not clear. Didn't find it. Anyway, very happy to hear you are getting back on track. Let's hope we both recover better and stronger and make 2010 a great year on stage and off !

[amysuds]

Originally Posted by SuzMax

Hey Amy! Sounds like your training is back on track. So great you're feeling better. It will be great to watch you over these next months while you alter your diet. And as always your work ethic is such an inspiration.

Thanks partner!

Originally Posted by annemarie_DJ

Hi Amy, just found your thread ! Wow - like I can totally commiserate with you. I am just getting back from a back injury. It was hell and very very slow to heal. It takes alot of patience. Be careful ! It is very interesting to hear you complain about your hip because I have the exact same problem... and it is from the back injury! I never had hip probs before and was a regular runner. I went back into your thread to see when and how you hurt yourself but it's not clear. Didn't find it. Anyway, very happy to hear you are getting back on track. Let's hope we both recover better and stronger and make 2010 a great year on stage and off !

I hurt my back cleaning up my gym...like just one of those things! It has been very slow to recover Annemarie, you are right. I lost alot of strength as well as some size. But, things are back on track! Hope your recovery is going well also

[amysuds]

All I can say about the past week of training is that I kicked my own ass! Friday I was up over 200lb again on hack squats for 10r sets, leg pressed almost 300 for high reps, did 1 leg squats with dumbbells (by the way, my glutes still hurt today being Monday). Those things infuriate that area like nothing else I have done. Compared with regular barbell squats, (where your glutes are supposed to be the prime mover I believe)....my quads still do too much of the work, so I have to hit the glutes hard as I can whatever way I can. Leg ext was 100lb, SLDL was 135 and leg curl at 45 for high reps. I had to crawl up the stairs. Saturday, I worked my shoulders first. I decided to blast them as hard as I could and then take a break before arms. I pushed 35lb for db press, then used the cable for lateral raises at a very low weight. It feels like a tendon is going to tear when I do those? I also used reverse pec dec for rear lat work at 30lb plate loaded. I had a protein shake with chocolate milk and hit arms. My forearms were thumping when I started...but I got a great pump. The focus was high rep curls, and I forced some reps which I usually cannot do. It amazed me how much better I did by taking that short break. Sunday I did hundreds of situps while watching football
Today I worked upper body. I HAVE to figure out a way to add some size to my upper body over the next few months. My focus and drive today were unreal. I worked my back heavy.... bent rows were at 125, seated rows 130, did a ton of rack chins. I am making sure to stretch my back in between every set again. It gets so tight , I am not going to take a chance and go into a heavy rep with an overly tight starting point. I worked my shoulders really hard again. I did 40lb db press and then db laterals with straight arms , straight out to sides with no arc. Held at the top...came down slow and ran the rack. Those things were burning! I finished them off with a few heavy 1/4 laterals...again straight arm, medial delt has gotta do all the work. I was able to alt db curl 25lb again today...been awhile for that! That's about where I am at....this week will be the same. I am in the mindset that I am in comp prep...every workout matters. Next summer I want to be in the best shape of my life. If I never try then I'll never know..........DO WORK AMY!!

[amysuds]

This week has been excellent so far. My strength is coming back as well as my focus ( better thought process from food maybe? LOL)
Leg day today....went right after regular squats with a vengence. Last week was 175lb, not good enough. So today I got the number back to 205lb for 6rep sets. Nice....that set the pace. Went on to 360lb high rep leg press then 130lb leg extensions. I also did some lunges and I was pain free in my quads. Might be from the creatine I started back on. Hamstrings continue to get stronger every workout....SLDL up to 185lb. Yeah baby.....leg curls at 60lb and calf stuff. My glutes and hams felt exhausted at the end, but those quads of mine were like...that's all ya got? ha ha.....so I did 50 jump squats and shut them the hell up. Here comes the HGH.......lovin this!

[amysuds]

Saturday...shoulders and arms. I did basically the same workout as last week...with the only change being smith machine press. This workout wooped my butt...I am so drained I want to just lie down! Very different from yesterday, it's funny how upper body tires me out WAY more than lower. Tomorrow will be situps again. Those make me extremely sore...alot more than weighted ab workouts. Fine by me

[amysuds]

Leg day yesterday....I decided to do regular squats heavy, but get my glutes down lower to the floor. That was fun...ouch! It is one thing to hit parallel and another to go beyond. So I maxed out at 175lb, I am very pleased with that. I focused on full stretch then full contraction with a major squeeze at the top. Went on to leg press, feet high and wide then together til my glutes were on fiya! Leg extensions hurt, 100lb and major burn. My SLDL was 155lb, I tried to max the stretch portion raising my heels...then not come back up quite all the way...I wanted to leave constant tension under heavy resistance. Leg curls are holding strong at 70lb....did calf work. I don't go into calf detail too much because they kinda "are what they are" with me. Their presentation solely lies upon the type of heels I wear

[amysuds]

Oh boy oh boy did I work my back yesterday. I have huge red welts on my wrists from the hooks today. Layne has changed up my program starting this week and it is more advanced.All I could think of when I started this workout was my husband telling me that my back lost some size/definition at the last show (nothing I could do about it..injured). So I went into this with that thought in mind.Back day I started by NOT doing rack chins...but with lat pulldowns at 75 lb of plates. I did some sets in wide grip,behind neck lighter weight and then close grip. I immediately felt my back pumping up which only happens rarely. I then did some seated rows at 120lb, barbell rows and 1 arm rows at 40lb. The emphasis was exagerated stretch at the bottom and major squeeze at the top. I had to stretch my back in between every set of the entire workout. By the time I did pullovers, 40lb was very difficult and I had all I could do to finish. So during the rest of the day yesterday...I felt very tired, the kind of tired when I want a nap. It was almost comparable to when I was pregnant (your body literally forces you to lie down, one way or another)...like when I slept to allow the growth to happen. I thought at first it was a carb crash...but no way. Layne has my macros set as such where that should not happen. So I take the tiredness as a sign of work got done!
Today was leg day #2 of the week. I set up the Olympic bar for squats and felt my back aching/sore ...so I changed to hack squats at 200-250lb. After those I did bent forward lunges with the Smith machine. I was trying to make my glutes overload...but no matter how wide my lunge, my quads were feeling it. They were locked up..felt like they were going to explode! So needless to say, leg ext hurt real bad and walking lunges left me whimpering...ha ha.....I had to stretch my quads for awhile to free them up before I went to SLDL. My SLDL were lighter than usual at 135lb. My back was not happy, not hurting per say ,but not feeling recuperated from yesterday. So I did those feet together than feet wide and got my hams nice and tight. I also did high rep leg curls. I had to rest pause halfway through every set just to hit the reps. I was at a low weight too. So I am going into the weekend officially WRECKED. I got some sh*t done this week and feel accomplished. I also ate my red meat like I promised myself I would. Game on......

[HoosierHardGain]

Sounds like a heck of a great workout!